BALTIMORE — The Ravens were still breathing Sunday night. Not quite comfortably, but alive enough to imagine a comeback that could’ve salvaged their season and dwindling playoff hopes.

After Zay Flowers hauled in a pass from backup Tyler Huntley, the team’s top wideout attempted a juke move, the ball subsequently drifting away from his body behind his questionable grip, and New England punched it loose.

It was another unfortunate ending Baltimore has previously witnessed.

Flowers’ late fourth-quarter fumble in Sunday’s loss highlighted a problem that the Ravens have struggled to solve throughout the season. Baltimore possesses dynamic talents who’ve repeatedly tripped over themselves because of preventable mistakes. There’s an added sense of tension, too, with the Ravens nearing a pivotal decision on Flowers, who becomes eligible to sign a contract extension for the first time in his career at the conclusion of the season.

On paper, Flowers looks like a top receiver.

His 1,043 receiving yards rank ninth in the NFL and third in the AFC, trailing only Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Houston’s Nico Collins. Flowers was rewarded for his latest efforts Tuesday, when he was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl.

Flowers, though, also occupies a spot in the basement among the league’s elite wideouts. He has just two receiving touchdowns, worst among the NFL’s top 15 receiving leaders. Flowers also has the same amount of total touchdowns, three, as he does lost fumbles.

His turnover that sealed Baltimore’s fate Sunday was just the most recent reminder of his spotty ball security.

During the team’s Week 6 home contest against the Rams, Flowers was involved in two critical second-half fumbles in opponent territory in a 17-3 defeat. Flowers again lost a fumble in the fourth quarter of the team’s Thanksgiving night loss to the Bengals. Under even brighter lights during the 2024 AFC championship game, Flowers lost the ball at the goal line in the 17-10 loss to Kansas City.

Some might call him unlucky, but opponents see a pattern forming. Patriots linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson said as much after New England’s Week 17 victory at M&T Bank Stadium that secured the visitors a playoff berth.

“We know they had a couple of speed skaters on their side,” Chaisson said.

Speed skaters?

“The ball just gets very loose from their body,” Chaisson said. “So if you ever watch a speed skater and how they move and their body, it’s how a couple of their ball carriers move with the ball. So, we already knew going into the game that was going to be a possibility. We emphasized turnovers, and it was in our game plan throughout the week, finding a way to get turnovers. A couple of [Baltimore’s] ball carriers, the ball can get loose from their body.”

That’s not exactly the type of reputation you want as part of a team that tied the NFL lead for most Pro Bowl selections.

To his credit, Flowers didn’t quickly evacuate the locker room on Sunday like how he departed for an early bye week after the Rams loss.

“I tried to make a play,” Flowers said. “I saw the defender overrunning it, so I cut back, tried to get up field, get a first [down], but somebody behind punched it out.”

Flowers is always attempting to make a play. It’s part of his DNA. He plays fast and twitchy, and is especially at his best in the open field. Flowers is generating career highs in catch rate (72.9%), receiving success rate (59.8%) and receptions (78).

But Flowers’ ball security has proven detrimental, and he’s become a hot target for opponents hunting the football.

“You can’t fumble the ball,” coach John Harbaugh said. “You have to protect the football. … If you don’t get it done, then you become known as a fumbler.”

Unfortunately for Harbaugh’s group, Baltimore is tied with Seattle for the most lost fumbles in the league (20) and ranks 20th in turnover margin. Flowers’ three lost fumbles are the most by any NFL wide receiver and third most on the team behind only quarterback Lamar Jackson (seven) and Derrick Henry (four).

Enter Flowers’ pending contract situation.

His latest Pro Bowl nod pushed his fifth-year option from $24.361 million to $28.046 million, according to Over The Cap, forcing general manager Eric DeCosta to decide whether to exercise the option, keeping Flowers under contract through 2027, or pursue a multi-year extension.

Flowers, who shares a close relationship with Jackson because of their South Florida roots, has generated some of the offense’s most explosive plays over his first three seasons.

His game also has limitations. At 5-foot-9, 183 pounds, Flowers doesn’t win many contested catches (his average separation of 3.6 yards ranks 48th among qualified pass-catchers, according to Next Gen Stats) or high-point throws. During Baltimore’s Dec. 14 win over Cincinnati, Flowers finally ended a 14-week touchdown drought, but he also dropped what should’ve been his second touchdown while struggling to elevate and track a ball in the back right corner of the end zone.

Ahead of Week 17, the Ravens rank 30th in red zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns on just 45.3% of their trips inside the 20. Neither of Flowers’ two receiving touchdowns have occurred inside the red zone.

“When you have Derrick Henry, and you have dominant tight ends in the red zone, it’s hard to not give them the ball,” Flowers said earlier this month. “Everybody wants to score touchdowns. … But hey, as long as we are scoring, as long as we are able to get something done, it’s all right.”

Is Flowers worth WR1 money?

Around the league, the WR market is booming. Ten wide receivers currently make at least $30 million in annual average salary. With two reigning Pro Bowl selections under his belt, Flowers and his representation likely will seek top dollar in future negotiations.

One friendly comparison because of his similar play style to Flowers is Detroit’s Jameson Williams, who recently signed a three-year extension worth $83 million ($26 million AAV), with $67 million guaranteed. However, Williams is four inches taller than Flowers, and isn’t asked to be his team’s primary pass-catcher on the opposite side of Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Flowers (78 catches, 1,043 yards) is the guy in Baltimore, and it isn’t particularly close. He’s the only pass-catcher to eclipse 400 receiving yards and 45 receptions.

How will DeCosta handle this situation, just one of many items on his growing offseason to-do list?

Baltimore already extended fellow wideout Rashod Bateman last offseason on a modest three-year deal worth $36.75 million with $20 million guaranteed. Bateman has a career-low 217 receiving yards this season and has missed time with a high ankle sprain.

Flowers, who trains with some of the NFL’s top receivers, including Chase, during the offseason, needs to seek renewed vigor after his critical turnovers. He’s already known as one of the team’s most intense practice participants and his talent and effort often transfers to game days. His looming pay day is coming. But his skills must adapt to include better ball security and field awareness.

Flowers’ latest fumble was costly. Exactly how his recurring fumbling issues reshape the franchise’s salary books, and his standing in its long-term plans, remains to be seen.

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